COSTA CONCORDIA DISASTER, LASTEST NEWS

[scalise12]

MIAMI — Cruise industry leaders gathered Tuesday for their first annual convention since the Costa Concordia disaster, emphasizing their commitment to safety and expressing confidence that business will return.

The Concordia accident, in which 32 people died when the ship ran aground off the coast of Italy in January, cast a long shadow over this year’s Cruise Shipping Miami conference, attended by thousands from the cruise and travel industries in more than 100 countries.

Costa’s parent company, Carnival Corp., the world’s largest cruise operator, said booking trends are running behind last year, leading it last week to slash 2012 profit forecasts nearly in half. Miami-based Carnival’s brands also include Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and Cunard Line.

“As everyone here well knows, the Concordia incident has focused considerable attention on our industry,” Carnival Corp. vice chairman and COO Howard Frank said in his keynote address. “While most of this attention has been negative, and we are clearly seeing some setbacks in the short term, we have faced similar setbacks in the past, and in each case we have shown tremendous resiliency in bouncing back.”

Frank, who is also chairman of the Cruise Lines International Association trade group, said cruise lines are re-emphasizing passenger and crew safety, including improved emergency training for all passengers prior to departure.

Other high-profile incidents have hurt the industry this year. Late last month, another Costa ship, the Allegra, caught fire and lost power, leaving passengers without working toilets, running water or air conditioning for three days. An outbreak of norovirus on ships on the Princess and Royal Caribbean lines and the robbery of 22 Carnival passengers on a bus tour in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, added to the parade of bad news.

Still, industry leaders said with 14 new ships coming online in 2012 and the continued trend toward globalization, they expect to see a record number of people taking cruise vacations this year.

The trade group is expecting 17.2 million passengers across its 26 member lines this year, up 5 percent from 2011. International business is up — about 68 percent of the passengers will be from North America, compared with 74 percent two years ago. In addition to the new ships this year, 10 more will debut between 2013 and 2015.

Gerald Cahill, president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines, lamented that the Concordia tragedy came at a time when the industry was expected to further recover from the recession and get more people onboard without offering deep discounts. He said the company stopped all of its marketing after the accident but has now resumed.

“My perception was, most of our guests recognize — especially those who have been a cruise before — that the cruise industry provides a very safe vacation,” Cahill said.MIAMI — Cruise industry leaders gathered Tuesday for their first annual convention since the Costa Concordia disaster, emphasizing their commitment to safety and expressing confidence that business will return.

The Concordia accident, in which 32 people died when the ship ran aground off the coast of Italy in January, cast a long shadow over this year’s Cruise Shipping Miami conference, attended by thousands from the cruise and travel industries in more than 100 countries.

Costa’s parent company, Carnival Corp., the world’s largest cruise operator, said booking trends are running behind last year, leading it last week to slash 2012 profit forecasts nearly in half. Miami-based Carnival’s brands also include Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and Cunard Line.

“As everyone here well knows, the Concordia incident has focused considerable attention on our industry,” Carnival Corp. vice chairman and COO Howard Frank said in his keynote address. “While most of this attention has been negative, and we are clearly seeing some setbacks in the short term, we have faced similar setbacks in the past, and in each case we have shown tremendous resiliency in bouncing back.”

Frank, who is also chairman of the Cruise Lines International Association trade group, said cruise lines are re-emphasizing passenger and crew safety, including improved emergency training for all passengers prior to departure.

Other high-profile incidents have hurt the industry this year. Late last month, another Costa ship, the Allegra, caught fire and lost power, leaving passengers without working toilets, running water or air conditioning for three days. An outbreak of norovirus on ships on the Princess and Royal Caribbean lines and the robbery of 22 Carnival passengers on a bus tour in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, added to the parade of bad news.

Still, industry leaders said with 14 new ships coming online in 2012 and the continued trend toward globalization, they expect to see a record number of people taking cruise vacations this year.

The trade group is expecting 17.2 million passengers across its 26 member lines this year, up 5 percent from 2011. International business is up — about 68 percent of the passengers will be from North America, compared with 74 percent two years ago. In addition to the new ships this year, 10 more will debut between 2013 and 2015.

Gerald Cahill, president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines, lamented that the Concordia tragedy came at a time when the industry was expected to further recover from the recession and get more people onboard without offering deep discounts. He said the company stopped all of its marketing after the accident but has now resumed.

“My perception was, most of our guests recognize — especially those who have been a cruise before — that the cruise industry provides a very safe vacation,” Cahill said.MIAMI — Cruise industry leaders gathered Tuesday for their first annual convention since the Costa Concordia disaster, emphasizing their commitment to safety and expressing confidence that business will return.

The Concordia accident, in which 32 people died when the ship ran aground off the coast of Italy in January, cast a long shadow over this year’s Cruise Shipping Miami conference, attended by thousands from the cruise and travel industries in more than 100 countries.

Costa’s parent company, Carnival Corp., the world’s largest cruise operator, said booking trends are running behind last year, leading it last week to slash 2012 profit forecasts nearly in half. Miami-based Carnival’s brands also include Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and Cunard Line.

“As everyone here well knows, the Concordia incident has focused considerable attention on our industry,” Carnival Corp. vice chairman and COO Howard Frank said in his keynote address. “While most of this attention has been negative, and we are clearly seeing some setbacks in the short term, we have faced similar setbacks in the past, and in each case we have shown tremendous resiliency in bouncing back.”

Frank, who is also chairman of the Cruise Lines International Association trade group, said cruise lines are re-emphasizing passenger and crew safety, including improved emergency training for all passengers prior to departure.

Other high-profile incidents have hurt the industry this year. Late last month, another Costa ship, the Allegra, caught fire and lost power, leaving passengers without working toilets, running water or air conditioning for three days. An outbreak of norovirus on ships on the Princess and Royal Caribbean lines and the robbery of 22 Carnival passengers on a bus tour in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, added to the parade of bad news.

Still, industry leaders said with 14 new ships coming online in 2012 and the continued trend toward globalization, they expect to see a record number of people taking cruise vacations this year.

The trade group is expecting 17.2 million passengers across its 26 member lines this year, up 5 percent from 2011. International business is up — about 68 percent of the passengers will be from North America, compared with 74 percent two years ago. In addition to the new ships this year, 10 more will debut between 2013 and 2015.

Gerald Cahill, president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines, lamented that the Concordia tragedy came at a time when the industry was expected to further recover from the recession and get more people onboard without offering deep discounts. He said the company stopped all of its marketing after the accident but has now resumed.

“My perception was, most of our guests recognize — especially those who have been a cruise before — that the cruise industry provides a very safe vacation,” Cahill said.MIAMI — Cruise industry leaders gathered Tuesday for their first annual convention since the Costa Concordia disaster, emphasizing their commitment to safety and expressing confidence that business will return.

The Concordia accident, in which 32 people died when the ship ran aground off the coast of Italy in January, cast a long shadow over this year’s Cruise Shipping Miami conference, attended by thousands from the cruise and travel industries in more than 100 countries.

Costa’s parent company, Carnival Corp., the world’s largest cruise operator, said booking trends are running behind last year, leading it last week to slash 2012 profit forecasts nearly in half. Miami-based Carnival’s brands also include Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and Cunard Line.

“As everyone here well knows, the Concordia incident has focused considerable attention on our industry,” Carnival Corp. vice chairman and COO Howard Frank said in his keynote address. “While most of this attention has been negative, and we are clearly seeing some setbacks in the short term, we have faced similar setbacks in the past, and in each case we have shown tremendous resiliency in bouncing back.”

Frank, who is also chairman of the Cruise Lines International Association trade group, said cruise lines are re-emphasizing passenger and crew safety, including improved emergency training for all passengers prior to departure.

Other high-profile incidents have hurt the industry this year. Late last month, another Costa ship, the Allegra, caught fire and lost power, leaving passengers without working toilets, running water or air conditioning for three days. An outbreak of norovirus on ships on the Princess and Royal Caribbean lines and the robbery of 22 Carnival passengers on a bus tour in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, added to the parade of bad news.

Still, industry leaders said with 14 new ships coming online in 2012 and the continued trend toward globalization, they expect to see a record number of people taking cruise vacations this year.

The trade group is expecting 17.2 million passengers across its 26 member lines this year, up 5 percent from 2011. International business is up — about 68 percent of the passengers will be from North America, compared with 74 percent two years ago. In addition to the new ships this year, 10 more will debut between 2013 and 2015.

Gerald Cahill, president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines, lamented that the Concordia tragedy came at a time when the industry was expected to further recover from the recession and get more people onboard without offering deep discounts. He said the company stopped all of its marketing after the accident but has now resumed.

“My perception was, most of our guests recognize — especially those who have been a cruise before — that the cruise industry provides a very safe vacation,” Cahill said.MIAMI — Cruise industry leaders gathered Tuesday for their first annual convention since the Costa Concordia disaster, emphasizing their commitment to safety and expressing confidence that business will return.

The Concordia accident, in which 32 people died when the ship ran aground off the coast of Italy in January, cast a long shadow over this year’s Cruise Shipping Miami conference, attended by thousands from the cruise and travel industries in more than 100 countries.

Costa’s parent company, Carnival Corp., the world’s largest cruise operator, said booking trends are running behind last year, leading it last week to slash 2012 profit forecasts nearly in half. Miami-based Carnival’s brands also include Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and Cunard Line.

“As everyone here well knows, the Concordia incident has focused considerable attention on our industry,” Carnival Corp. vice chairman and COO Howard Frank said in his keynote address. “While most of this attention has been negative, and we are clearly seeing some setbacks in the short term, we have faced similar setbacks in the past, and in each case we have shown tremendous resiliency in bouncing back.”

Frank, who is also chairman of the Cruise Lines International Association trade group, said cruise lines are re-emphasizing passenger and crew safety, including improved emergency training for all passengers prior to departure.

Other high-profile incidents have hurt the industry this year. Late last month, another Costa ship, the Allegra, caught fire and lost power, leaving passengers without working toilets, running water or air conditioning for three days. An outbreak of norovirus on ships on the Princess and Royal Caribbean lines and the robbery of 22 Carnival passengers on a bus tour in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, added to the parade of bad news.

Still, industry leaders said with 14 new ships coming online in 2012 and the continued trend toward globalization, they expect to see a record number of people taking cruise vacations this year.

The trade group is expecting 17.2 million passengers across its 26 member lines this year, up 5 percent from 2011. International business is up — about 68 percent of the passengers will be from North America, compared with 74 percent two years ago. In addition to the new ships this year, 10 more will debut between 2013 and 2015.

Gerald Cahill, president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines, lamented that the Concordia tragedy came at a time when the industry was expected to further recover from the recession and get more people onboard without offering deep discounts. He said the company stopped all of its marketing after the accident but has now resumed.

“My perception was, most of our guests recognize — especially those who have been a cruise before — that the cruise industry provides a very safe vacation,” Cahill said.MIAMI — Cruise industry leaders gathered Tuesday for their first annual convention since the Costa Concordia disaster, emphasizing their commitment to safety and expressing confidence that business will return.

The Concordia accident, in which 32 people died when the ship ran aground off the coast of Italy in January, cast a long shadow over this year’s Cruise Shipping Miami conference, attended by thousands from the cruise and travel industries in more than 100 countries.

Costa’s parent company, Carnival Corp., the world’s largest cruise operator, said booking trends are running behind last year, leading it last week to slash 2012 profit forecasts nearly in half. Miami-based Carnival’s brands also include Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and Cunard Line.

“As everyone here well knows, the Concordia incident has focused considerable attention on our industry,” Carnival Corp. vice chairman and COO Howard Frank said in his keynote address. “While most of this attention has been negative, and we are clearly seeing some setbacks in the short term, we have faced similar setbacks in the past, and in each case we have shown tremendous resiliency in bouncing back.”

Frank, who is also chairman of the Cruise Lines International Association trade group, said cruise lines are re-emphasizing passenger and crew safety, including improved emergency training for all passengers prior to departure.

Other high-profile incidents have hurt the industry this year. Late last month, another Costa ship, the Allegra, caught fire and lost power, leaving passengers without working toilets, running water or air conditioning for three days. An outbreak of norovirus on ships on the Princess and Royal Caribbean lines and the robbery of 22 Carnival passengers on a bus tour in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, added to the parade of bad news.

Still, industry leaders said with 14 new ships coming online in 2012 and the continued trend toward globalization, they expect to see a record number of people taking cruise vacations this year.

The trade group is expecting 17.2 million passengers across its 26 member lines this year, up 5 percent from 2011. International business is up — about 68 percent of the passengers will be from North America, compared with 74 percent two years ago. In addition to the new ships this year, 10 more will debut between 2013 and 2015.

Gerald Cahill, president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines, lamented that the Concordia tragedy came at a time when the industry was expected to further recover from the recession and get more people onboard without offering deep discounts. He said the company stopped all of its marketing after the accident but has now resumed.

“My perception was, most of our guests recognize — especially those who have been a cruise before — that the cruise industry provides a very safe vacation,” Cahill said.MIAMI — Cruise industry leaders gathered Tuesday for their first annual convention since the Costa Concordia disaster, emphasizing their commitment to safety and expressing confidence that business will return.

The Concordia accident, in which 32 people died when the ship ran aground off the coast of Italy in January, cast a long shadow over this year’s Cruise Shipping Miami conference, attended by thousands from the cruise and travel industries in more than 100 countries.

Costa’s parent company, Carnival Corp., the world’s largest cruise operator, said booking trends are running behind last year, leading it last week to slash 2012 profit forecasts nearly in half. Miami-based Carnival’s brands also include Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and Cunard Line.

“As everyone here well knows, the Concordia incident has focused considerable attention on our industry,” Carnival Corp. vice chairman and COO Howard Frank said in his keynote address. “While most of this attention has been negative, and we are clearly seeing some setbacks in the short term, we have faced similar setbacks in the past, and in each case we have shown tremendous resiliency in bouncing back.”

Frank, who is also chairman of the Cruise Lines International Association trade group, said cruise lines are re-emphasizing passenger and crew safety, including improved emergency training for all passengers prior to departure.

Other high-profile incidents have hurt the industry this year. Late last month, another Costa ship, the Allegra, caught fire and lost power, leaving passengers without working toilets, running water or air conditioning for three days. An outbreak of norovirus on ships on the Princess and Royal Caribbean lines and the robbery of 22 Carnival passengers on a bus tour in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, added to the parade of bad news.

Still, industry leaders said with 14 new ships coming online in 2012 and the continued trend toward globalization, they expect to see a record number of people taking cruise vacations this year.

The trade group is expecting 17.2 million passengers across its 26 member lines this year, up 5 percent from 2011. International business is up — about 68 percent of the passengers will be from North America, compared with 74 percent two years ago. In addition to the new ships this year, 10 more will debut between 2013 and 2015.

Gerald Cahill, president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines, lamented that the Concordia tragedy came at a time when the industry was expected to further recover from the recession and get more people onboard without offering deep discounts. He said the company stopped all of its marketing after the accident but has now resumed.

“My perception was, most of our guests recognize — especially those who have been a cruise before — that the cruise industry provides a very safe vacation,” Cahill said.MIAMI — Cruise industry leaders gathered Tuesday for their first annual convention since the Costa Concordia disaster, emphasizing their commitment to safety and expressing confidence that business will return.

The Concordia accident, in which 32 people died when the ship ran aground off the coast of Italy in January, cast a long shadow over this year’s Cruise Shipping Miami conference, attended by thousands from the cruise and travel industries in more than 100 countries.

Costa’s parent company, Carnival Corp., the world’s largest cruise operator, said booking trends are running behind last year, leading it last week to slash 2012 profit forecasts nearly in half. Miami-based Carnival’s brands also include Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and Cunard Line.

“As everyone here well knows, the Concordia incident has focused considerable attention on our industry,” Carnival Corp. vice chairman and COO Howard Frank said in his keynote address. “While most of this attention has been negative, and we are clearly seeing some setbacks in the short term, we have faced similar setbacks in the past, and in each case we have shown tremendous resiliency in bouncing back.”

Frank, who is also chairman of the Cruise Lines International Association trade group, said cruise lines are re-emphasizing passenger and crew safety, including improved emergency training for all passengers prior to departure.

Other high-profile incidents have hurt the industry this year. Late last month, another Costa ship, the Allegra, caught fire and lost power, leaving passengers without working toilets, running water or air conditioning for three days. An outbreak of norovirus on ships on the Princess and Royal Caribbean lines and the robbery of 22 Carnival passengers on a bus tour in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, added to the parade of bad news.

Still, industry leaders said with 14 new ships coming online in 2012 and the continued trend toward globalization, they expect to see a record number of people taking cruise vacations this year.

The trade group is expecting 17.2 million passengers across its 26 member lines this year, up 5 percent from 2011. International business is up — about 68 percent of the passengers will be from North America, compared with 74 percent two years ago. In addition to the new ships this year, 10 more will debut between 2013 and 2015.

Gerald Cahill, president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines, lamented that the Concordia tragedy came at a time when the industry was expected to further recover from the recession and get more people onboard without offering deep discounts. He said the company stopped all of its marketing after the accident but has now resumed.

“My perception was, most of our guests recognize — especially those who have been a cruise before — that the cruise industry provides a very safe vacation,” Cahill said.MIAMI — Cruise industry leaders gathered Tuesday for their first annual convention since the Costa Concordia disaster, emphasizing their commitment to safety and expressing confidence that business will return.

The Concordia accident, in which 32 people died when the ship ran aground off the coast of Italy in January, cast a long shadow over this year’s Cruise Shipping Miami conference, attended by thousands from the cruise and travel industries in more than 100 countries.

Costa’s parent company, Carnival Corp., the world’s largest cruise operator, said booking trends are running behind last year, leading it last week to slash 2012 profit forecasts nearly in half. Miami-based Carnival’s brands also include Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and Cunard Line.

“As everyone here well knows, the Concordia incident has focused considerable attention on our industry,” Carnival Corp. vice chairman and COO Howard Frank said in his keynote address. “While most of this attention has been negative, and we are clearly seeing some setbacks in the short term, we have faced similar setbacks in the past, and in each case we have shown tremendous resiliency in bouncing back.”

Frank, who is also chairman of the Cruise Lines International Association trade group, said cruise lines are re-emphasizing passenger and crew safety, including improved emergency training for all passengers prior to departure.

Other high-profile incidents have hurt the industry this year. Late last month, another Costa ship, the Allegra, caught fire and lost power, leaving passengers without working toilets, running water or air conditioning for three days. An outbreak of norovirus on ships on the Princess and Royal Caribbean lines and the robbery of 22 Carnival passengers on a bus tour in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, added to the parade of bad news.

Still, industry leaders said with 14 new ships coming online in 2012 and the continued trend toward globalization, they expect to see a record number of people taking cruise vacations this year.

The trade group is expecting 17.2 million passengers across its 26 member lines this year, up 5 percent from 2011. International business is up — about 68 percent of the passengers will be from North America, compared with 74 percent two years ago. In addition to the new ships this year, 10 more will debut between 2013 and 2015.

Gerald Cahill, president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines, lamented that the Concordia tragedy came at a time when the industry was expected to further recover from the recession and get more people onboard without offering deep discounts. He said the company stopped all of its marketing after the accident but has now resumed.

“My perception was, most of our guests recognize — especially those who have been a cruise before — that the cruise industry provides a very safe vacation,” Cahill said.MIAMI — Cruise industry leaders gathered Tuesday for their first annual convention since the Costa Concordia disaster, emphasizing their commitment to safety and expressing confidence that business will return.

The Concordia accident, in which 32 people died when the ship ran aground off the coast of Italy in January, cast a long shadow over this year’s Cruise Shipping Miami conference, attended by thousands from the cruise and travel industries in more than 100 countries.

Costa’s parent company, Carnival Corp., the world’s largest cruise operator, said booking trends are running behind last year, leading it last week to slash 2012 profit forecasts nearly in half. Miami-based Carnival’s brands also include Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and Cunard Line.

“As everyone here well knows, the Concordia incident has focused considerable attention on our industry,” Carnival Corp. vice chairman and COO Howard Frank said in his keynote address. “While most of this attention has been negative, and we are clearly seeing some setbacks in the short term, we have faced similar setbacks in the past, and in each case we have shown tremendous resiliency in bouncing back.”

Frank, who is also chairman of the Cruise Lines International Association trade group, said cruise lines are re-emphasizing passenger and crew safety, including improved emergency training for all passengers prior to departure.

Other high-profile incidents have hurt the industry this year. Late last month, another Costa ship, the Allegra, caught fire and lost power, leaving passengers without working toilets, running water or air conditioning for three days. An outbreak of norovirus on ships on the Princess and Royal Caribbean lines and the robbery of 22 Carnival passengers on a bus tour in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, added to the parade of bad news.

Still, industry leaders said with 14 new ships coming online in 2012 and the continued trend toward globalization, they expect to see a record number of people taking cruise vacations this year.

The trade group is expecting 17.2 million passengers across its 26 member lines this year, up 5 percent from 2011. International business is up — about 68 percent of the passengers will be from North America, compared with 74 percent two years ago. In addition to the new ships this year, 10 more will debut between 2013 and 2015.

Gerald Cahill, president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines, lamented that the Concordia tragedy came at a time when the industry was expected to further recover from the recession and get more people onboard without offering deep discounts. He said the company stopped all of its marketing after the accident but has now resumed.

“My perception was, most of our guests recognize — especially those who have been a cruise before — that the cruise industry provides a very safe vacation,” Cahill said.

[coloradocruisers]

It feels like I just read the same article ten times.

In any case, and I'm sure the quotes are taken out of context, but the Carnival execs come across in the article as regarding the accident more as an inconvenience to them. I only hope they started the meeting with, perhaps, a moment of silence for those lost on the Concordia; and an update from each of the cruiselines on their recent safety improvements so that best practices could be shared. That's what I would hope, anyway.

[jacketwatch]

Screwy article in that it repeats over and over. Some sort of reporting glitch I suppose. Where was the editor b4 this was printed????

[AndiD]

Yeah - talk about deja vue!

[GottaCruz]

scalise, Thanks for posting this. Glad to read that

cruise lines are re-emphasizing passenger and crew safety, including improved emergency training for all passengers prior to departure.